Reed of cane, plastic, or any other material for clarinets, saxophones, and like musical instruments



June 23, 1942. MACCAFERR] 2,287,529 REED OF CANE, PLASTIC, OR ANY OTHERMATERIAL FOR CLARINETS,

SAXOPHONES, AND LIKE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed June 13, 1941 W I 76 76 I2d 26 INVENTOR C Q 5 7] BY fl/arm Mayer/z Patented June 23, 1942 iUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REED OF CANE, PLASTIC, OR. ANY OTHER TvIATERIAL FOR CLARINETS,

SAXO- PHONES, AND LIKE MUSICAL INSTRU- IVEENTS 1 Claim.

This invention relates to reeds of cane, plastic, or any other materialfor clarinet, saxophone and like musical instruments, and has for itsobject to provide an improved reed which will render the harmonics of asound and thereby enhance the tone value of such reeds.

As is generally known the harmonics of a sound of a musical instrumentor of the human voice are dependent upon freedom of action, which isacquired only by years of skillful practice. An ordinary full surfacedreed of plastic or other material provides a sound, but is poor or freefrom overtones or harmonics. Even with bamboo reeds it has been foundthat some produce such harmonics and others do not. It is assumed thatthis is due to the arrangement of the fibres of the respective reeds.

The invention consists in providing in a reed made of plastic materialone or more notches on the upper surface thereof, preferablytransversely across the reed, though not extending entirely across,these notches having a depth not to exceed the centroid line of thereed, and not to extend more than about a third of the length of thereed at either side of the longitudinal center of the reed. The thinningof the material of which the reed is made enables the vibrations,whether sympathetic or resonant, to set up overtones or harmonics, andalso to lighten or make more brilliant the fundamental tone produced.

The invention will be more fully described hereinafter, embodiments willbe shown in the drawing, and it will be finally pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying map:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved reed.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of Figure 1 taken on line2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section of Figure 1 taken on line 3-3of Figure 1.

Figures 4, 5, and 6 are plan views of various forms of cutouts.

Figures 7, 8 and 9 are detail views of various conformations of thebottoms of the cutouts.

Figure 10 is a plan view of a modifying form of reed.

Figure 11 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on line I ll l ofFigure 10.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutof the various views.

Referring to the drawing:

A reed, I0, is shown in Figure 1, in which the front end H, is very thinand is vibrated by the air column emitted by the player, and then tapersto its peak in thickness at I2, which thickness is in general maintainedto its rear end l3. The reed tapers from its front to its rear,laterally considered, as is seen by the sides l4 and I5. The rearportion extending from the rear end l2 to the central portion I2, isheld by the mouth piece of the instrument, well known and not shown inthe drawings. The shape just described has a median line 16, shown indot-dash, which extends from the tip II to the rear edge l3. This medianline is the line of stress and strain. The bottom surface of the reed isflat or in a plane and seats itself upon the plane surface of themouthpiece.

After considerable research I found that the desired harmonics orovertones are produced mostly by the back half section of the vamp ofthe reed. The manner in which the reed is applied to the mouthpiece, andthe way in which it vibrates, does not leave the back portion of thevamp of the reed free to vibrate. Also, inasmuch as this section is thethickest part of the vibrating reed, and since it is the portionattached to the mouthpiece, it is not possible to produce the naturalharmonics or overtones.

I concluded to apply the principle that the larger the body the deeperthe tone, and the lighter the body the higher the tone. In following outthis principle I found that I could not reduce the volumativeproportions of the reed, since if carried out I would deepen or lightenthe tone, but still fail in the production of overtones. By cutting downthe volume of the reed by a cutout transversely across the reed and at apoint or points within either side of the center of about a third of thereed, that is, one sixth at either side and above the median line, Ihave found that overtones are produced with the basic tones. Thesecutouts, of which one is indicated by the reference 20 in Figures 1, 2and 3, do not extend clear across the reed, but are short of the sides,allowing lateral portions 2| and 22 to remain. The cutout has verticalwalls 24 and 25, and a bottom wall 23, which, as seen in Figure 2, isabove the median line or plane it. The reduced thickness from the bottom23 of the cutout to bottom of reed, indicated by the double pointedarrow 26 enables the vibrations to be reduced to that thickness, and theremaining shoulders formed. by the sides 24 and 25 have a freedom ofvibration. Thus rigidity is combined with freedom of movement.

The cutout need not necessarily have the form shown in Figures 1 to 3.They may be crescent shaped as shown by the two crescent shaped cutouts28 in Figure 4, one at either side of the transverse center line 21. Orthey may be angularly shaped, as shown by the two angular cutouts 3K! inFigure 5, one at either side of the transverse centre line 21. Or theymay be of lentil-like shape as shown in Figure 6, three cutouts, beingtwo on one side and one on the other side of the transverse center line21 and indicated by 3!. Instead of two or three cutouts, four may beused, as in Figure 10, as indicated by the cutouts 32, and as shown insection in Figure 11, where the free-corners or shoulders 34, 35, 36,3?, 38, 39, 4!! and 4! are clearly visible. The rule applicable to theseand other embodiments is that the cutout portions must not extend belowthe median plane l6, and not be beyond about one-sixth of the length ofthe reed at either side of the transverse center line 21, and that thelateral portions 2| and 22 must remain uncut, though the inclined sides2| and 22' as shown in Figures 1 and 3, are not essential, since otherforms of remaining lateral sides may be used, as shown in Figure andreferred to by 21a and 22a.

The cutouts shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 10, may have bottom surfacessuch as shown in either Figure'l, 8, and 9. In Figure 7 a circularbottom 23 is shown; in Figure 8 an angular bottom 38 is shown; and inFigure 9 a wedge shaped bottom 31, is shown.

Longitudinal limitations of the cutouts are shown by the boundary arrows45.

The use of such cutouts has produced a reed with an entirely planebottom surface 46 and one which renders when in use, overtones andharmonies.

From the foregoing it willbe seen that the invention consists in aplastic reed for musical instruments tapering at one end to form a vampand having at the other end a mouthpiece at tachrnent portion forming a.heel, the combination of a cutout extending generally transversely tothe longitudinal axis of the reed but: not en tirely across the same,and having no part of the cutout below the median plane of' the reed,the longitudinal width of the cutout being smaller than its transverselength, said cutout being spaced from the longitudinal center not morethan about one-sixth of the length of the reed measured from saidcenter, shoulder portions flush wtih the upper surface of the reedextending longitudinally along the lateral margins of the reed andbounding each of the transverse ends of the cutout, and an uncurvedbottom of the plastic reed in a plane parallel with said median planethe bottom wall of the cutout being above the median line and in a planewith the inner edges of the longitudinal shoulders, said cutoutremaining open and unfilled, whereby the pitch tones are enabled tosound with their harmonics.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction and advantagesof the invention may be readily understood by those skilled in the artwithout further description, it being borne in mind that numerouschanges may be made in the details disclosed without departing from thespirit of the invention as set out in the following claim.

I claim:

In a plastic reed for musical instruments tapering at one end to form avamp and having at the other enda mouthpiece attachment portion forminga heel, the combination of a cutout extending generally transversely tothe longitudinal axis of the reed but not entirely across the same, andhaving no part of the cutout below the median plane of the reed, thelongitudinal width of the cutout being smaller than its transverselength, said cutout being spaced from the longitudinal center not morethan about one-sixth of the length of the reed measured from saidcenter, shoulder portions flush with the upper surface of the reedextending longitudinally along the lateral margins of the reed andbounding each of the transverse ends of the cutout, and an uncurvedbottom of the plastic reed in a plane parallel with said median plane,the bottom wall of. the cutout being above the median line and in aplane with the inner edges of the longitudinal shoulders, said cutoutremaining open and unfilled, whereby the pitch tones are enabled tosound with their harmonics.

MARIO MACCAFERRI.

